Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 14: Amid an ongoing row between Tamil Nadu’s ruling party, DMK, and the state Governor, over him skipping a few parts of the state government’s approved speech, including names of tall leaders like BR Ambedkar and Periyar, a senior DMK leader Shivaji Krishnamurthy has sparked a new controversy by giving terror threat to the governor R N Ravi.
Governor’s deputy secretary on Saturday lodged a complaint with Chennai Police against Krishnamurthy demanding his arrest and that he be punished for derogatory remarks against the governor.
Krishnamurthy had on Friday said he would send a terrorist to kill Ravi. His remarks came amid an ongoing tussle between Chief Minister MK Stalin and the Governor over naming the state as “Tamizhagam” in place of Tamil Nadu.
During a meeting, Krishnamurthy said, “CM is asking us not to scold the Governor. Had he read the speech properly, I would have placed flowers on his feet and thanked him with folded hands. But don’t I have the right to slap him with a slipper if he denies saying Ambedkar’s name, my forefather who gave the constitution to India? Didn’t you take an oath in the name of the constitution? Wasn’t it Ambedkar, my grandfather, who wrote it? If you won’t say his name, you go to Kashmir. We ourselves will send an extremist. Let him gun him down,” Krishnamoorthy had said.
The DMK has distanced itself from the remarks, saying the party respects the Governor and the hateful remarks were an individual’s personal speech. BJP leader Narayanan Thirupathy demanded the arrest of Krishnamurthy over his remark and said using foul and filthy language is the culture of the ruling dispensation.
“It’s DMK’s culture. For the last 60 years, they’ve been using foul and filthy language and are known for it. It’s in DMK’s DNA. Shivaji Krishnamoorthy and RS Bharathi had abused Governor RN Ravi and said they’ll kill him. We wonder if DMK has any links with terrorists,” Thirupathy said.
He also demanded that the Goondas Act should be used to apprehend DMK leaders Krishnamurthy and RS Bharathi. “If Tamil Nadu Police has a spine, they should arrest these two Krishnamurthy and RS Bharathi. They must be arrested under Goondas Act and put in jail for one year,” he said.
BJP leader Khushbu Sundar hit out at Chief Minister MK Stalin, blaming him for “the new culture.” “I am not surprised at all. This is the new culture under CM @mkstalin. I pity the man in the grave who left behind a legacy. I am sure he will be churning in his grave. Such men do not deserve to be on a public platform. They insult their upbringing & their mother. Appalling,” she tweeted.
BJP’s state president K Annamalai has demanded Mr Krishnamurthy’s immediate arrest. “He should be put under the NIA scanner since he had said that he will send terrorists to kill governor Ravi in Jammu and Kashmir.” Saying that the DMK has always indulged in ‘abusive’ politics, he said, “They have always abused leaders holding higher constitutional posts, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We have written to Tamil Nadu DGP seeking immediate action. The hands of the police are tied. Local DMK leaders treat police stations as their own offices,” Mr Annamalai said.
On January 9, Governor RN Ravi sparked a controversy with his statement that the name ‘Thamizhagam’ would be more appropriate for the state of Tamil Nadu. The Governor had skipped parts of the address prepared by the state government which had references to secularism, describing Tamil Nadu as a haven of peace, and mention of leaders like Periyar, BR Ambedkar, K Kamaraj, CN Annadurai, and Karunanidhi, after which the Chief Minister moved the resolution. He also did not read the reference to the ‘Dravidian model’ that the ruling DMK promotes and showcases.
The Governor’s remark during his customary address at the opening session of the House on Monday, triggered an uproar, especially from the Treasury benches. Legislators of the ruling DMK and its allies, the Congress and the VCK, started raising slogans against the Governor and staged a walkout.
Chief Minister MK Stalin moved a resolution in opposition to the Governor’s remarks. Meanwhile, the state’s BJP unit supported RN Ravi and denounced CM Stalin’s resolution. RN Ravi walked off of the Assembly premises in a huff without even waiting for the national anthem, sung moments later forcing comment from Stalin that the Governor’s action was “against Assembly traditions.”
